[IC] Alpine Winter - Alps 60% DCS - GB is Live!

[E3E]

Doesn't PMK have a thing on too many child deals? I don't know the maximum, but I hear that they don't allow so many now (likely with good reason, since other sets will go overlooked and many will likely not tip). I'd say it'd be best to have two deals. One for the full set with legends, and one with the full set in blanks, unless you can think of some very highly desirable blank layouts that are sure to tip. Alps is a tough cookie as it is to reach MQO. 

I guess it really doesn't matter what happens with Badwrench, this set is what it is and Cherry fonts are probably the only way to go.

I'll be buying this for sure, I actually have a use for alps caps now! If it drops could we get blanks for each row in a few colors?

I've got a soft cap on extra keys at this point for cost reasons... what blanks/colors are you thinking of?

Just 1u keys for each row that match the colors. SP does single key blank child deals all the time.

OK so some gray and blue blanks in the different route profiles, I understand. But how are the child deals arranged? Like one child deal for each single cap or what?

[njbair]

This will not be a PMK buy, I'm going to run it the old-fashioned way to save costs. I don't think PMK provides enough exposure to justify the overhead.

I will check with SP and see how they would handle child deals for a traditional buy. I imagine they won't have a problem if I hand them a purchase order for X quantity of full sets, X qty R1 blanks in GTL, X qty R2 blanks in BGA, etc.

[E3E]

Oh right! Much how the Out of the Vault buy is being handled and Badwrench's DCS modifier set was handled. Sounds good to me! 

[Badwrench]

This will not be a PMK buy, I'm going to run it the old-fashioned way to save costs. I don't think PMK provides enough exposure to justify the overhead.

I will check with SP and see how they would handle child deals for a traditional buy. I imagine they won't have a problem if I hand them a purchase order for X quantity of full sets, X qty R1 blanks in GTL, X qty R2 blanks in BGA, etc.

Exactly this.  Break it into whatever deals you feel comfortable with and submit it for pricing tiers.  From there, if a deal doesn't make MOQ, it doesn't get made (or maybe if it is a really cool smaller deal - people may be willing to get in at the lower 25 MOQ for more $$). 

[olijuice]

I would be interested in a set, the design looks really nice now. I'm bummed out I missed out on Badwrench's GB

[jdcarpe]

If you would like to include the glider mod keys (either 1.25u, 1u, or both), I hereby grant you permission to use the legends. They have already been cut, so there should be no extra cost.

And if you don't want to use them, just carry on, then.

[njbair]

If you would like to include the glider mod keys (either 1.25u, 1u, or both), I hereby grant you permission to use the legends. They have already been cut, so there should be no extra cost.

And if you don't want to use them, just carry on, then.

I'm personally really psyched about the glider legends on Badwrench's set. But I'm trying to keep the number of extra keys to a minimum on this one, and the Alps logo is the more appropriate/universal of the two. Thanks though!

[jdcarpe]

I'm personally really psyched about the glider legends on Badwrench's set. But I'm trying to keep the number of extra keys to a minimum on this one, and the Alps logo is the more appropriate/universal of the two. Thanks though!

Yep, completely understandable.

[Badwrench]

If you would like to include the glider mod keys (either 1.25u, 1u, or both), I hereby grant you permission to use the legends. They have already been cut, so there should be no extra cost.

And if you don't want to use them, just carry on, then.

I'm personally really psyched about the glider legends on Badwrench's set. But I'm trying to keep the number of extra keys to a minimum on this one, and the Alps logo is the more appropriate/universal of the two. Thanks though!

I am liking the slider more and more and you can't go wrong with the alps logo.  Can't wait for the option of a matching spacebar!  Mine is a cut down matias 7x.  Still need to finish sanding and polishing it, but so far it works fine. 

[njbair]

If you would like to include the glider mod keys (either 1.25u, 1u, or both), I hereby grant you permission to use the legends. They have already been cut, so there should be no extra cost.

And if you don't want to use them, just carry on, then.

I'm personally really psyched about the glider legends on Badwrench's set. But I'm trying to keep the number of extra keys to a minimum on this one, and the Alps logo is the more appropriate/universal of the two. Thanks though!

I am liking the slider more and more and you can't go wrong with the alps logo.  Can't wait for the option of a matching spacebar!  Mine is a cut down matias 7x.  Still need to finish sanding and polishing it, but so far it works fine. 

(Attachment Link)

Looks awesome! I really like it with the off-white caps (chicony?)

[E3E]

If you would like to include the glider mod keys (either 1.25u, 1u, or both), I hereby grant you permission to use the legends. They have already been cut, so there should be no extra cost.

And if you don't want to use them, just carry on, then.

I'm personally really psyched about the glider legends on Badwrench's set. But I'm trying to keep the number of extra keys to a minimum on this one, and the Alps logo is the more appropriate/universal of the two. Thanks though!

I am liking the slider more and more and you can't go wrong with the alps logo.  Can't wait for the option of a matching spacebar!  Mine is a cut down matias 7x.  Still need to finish sanding and polishing it, but so far it works fine. 

(Attachment Link)

Ahh that looks so good, man! I plan on doing a stem swap for my 6u Gateron Blank for the time being. I figured why bother buying a black 6u DCS when I have a 6u Gateron I'm never going to use AND with Arctic Winter coming around. The Gateron might be slightly off profile, but it's all good. It has an odd stem placement so it doesn't even fit the Infinity normally.

I always was curious about cutting down space bars. Nice to see someone do it! Aside from the lack of finishing polish, it looks really good!

So now that I bricked my NTC 6151N (RIP  ), I'm gonna use the blue alps for my Infinity build. Not sure if I want to put AEK caps or the NTC caps on it. The NTC caps have that subtle yellowed look, but the AEK has a cool grey tone that's similar to the color for the alphas in this set, and it's PBT. I'm thinking I'm gonna go for AEK for now.

[Badwrench]

If you would like to include the glider mod keys (either 1.25u, 1u, or both), I hereby grant you permission to use the legends. They have already been cut, so there should be no extra cost.

And if you don't want to use them, just carry on, then.

I'm personally really psyched about the glider legends on Badwrench's set. But I'm trying to keep the number of extra keys to a minimum on this one, and the Alps logo is the more appropriate/universal of the two. Thanks though!

I am liking the slider more and more and you can't go wrong with the alps logo.  Can't wait for the option of a matching spacebar!  Mine is a cut down matias 7x.  Still need to finish sanding and polishing it, but so far it works fine. 

(Attachment Link)

Looks awesome! I really like it with the off-white caps (chicony?)

Thanks.  And yes, Chicony 5161.  They are not that yellow, but every picture I take of them looks different. 

[E3E]

Yeah, that's how it seems with these old vintage boards. My NTC 6151 has very little yellowing, but it's there. In some pictures it looks like there's no yellowing. In others, it looks a bit sunny.

[WHPGH]

I'm very interested in buying this set!

[trenzafeeds]

I'm very interested in buying this set!

Posts: 1

So interested he made an account just for the occasion.

[Badwrench]

I'm very interested in buying this set!

Posts: 1

So interested he made an account just for the occasion.

Gotta start somewhere.  I did the same thing for the original Toxic buy and decided to stick around. 

[njbair]

I'm going to contact SP on Tuesday and get pricing sorted out ASAP. As soon as that's all figured out I'll move forward with the GB thread.

[E3E]

I'm going to contact SP on Tuesday and get pricing sorted out ASAP. As soon as that's all figured out I'll move forward with the GB thread.

Whoa, moving quick! I like it. My keyboard is ready! 

[WHPGH]

I'm very interested in buying this set!

Posts: 1

So interested he made an account just for the occasion.

how else am I meant to join the GB without an account

[vivalarevolución]

I'm very interested in buying this set!

Posts: 1

So interested he made an account just for the occasion.

how else am I meant to join the GB without an account

Welcome to the rabbit hole.

Also, to the OP, forgot to say Rust Belt represent.

[njbair]

Update: As promised, I emailed Melissa @ SP this morning. I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear back. Starting to get psyched!

Also, to the OP, forgot to say Rust Belt represent.

Word. BTW, Cleveland is a comeback city now. I don't know what that means, but hey!

[E3E]

Update: As promised, I emailed Melissa @ SP this morning. I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear back. Starting to get psyched!

Also, to the OP, forgot to say Rust Belt represent.

Word. BTW, Cleveland is a comeback city now. I don't know what that means, but hey!

I'm so curious to hear what the prices are going to look like! Are you sure running this so quickly after such a fast IC is a good idea? Well, I suppose if this won't need a MQO for getting made or anything, then it doesn't really matter. I'm still in regardless of price.

[njbair]

Update: As promised, I emailed Melissa @ SP this morning. I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear back. Starting to get psyched!

Also, to the OP, forgot to say Rust Belt represent.

Word. BTW, Cleveland is a comeback city now. I don't know what that means, but hey!

I'm so curious to hear what the prices are going to look like! Are you sure running this so quickly after such a fast IC is a good idea? Well, I suppose if this won't need a MQO for getting made or anything, then it doesn't really matter. I'm still in regardless of price.

I don't see any benefit of a long, drawn-out IC phase, especially since it seems like we've nailed down the colors and layout, which have been stable now for over a week. I'd rather keep the buy open for longer, and promote it like crazy. I also don't want to dawdle, because Lastpilot is waiting on us to start his own Alps GB and it's not fair to keep him waiting.

[E3E]

Update: As promised, I emailed Melissa @ SP this morning. I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear back. Starting to get psyched!

Also, to the OP, forgot to say Rust Belt represent.

Word. BTW, Cleveland is a comeback city now. I don't know what that means, but hey!

I'm so curious to hear what the prices are going to look like! Are you sure running this so quickly after such a fast IC is a good idea? Well, I suppose if this won't need a MQO for getting made or anything, then it doesn't really matter. I'm still in regardless of price.

I don't see any benefit of a long, drawn-out IC phase, especially since it seems like we've nailed down the colors and layout, which have been stable now for over a week. I'd rather keep the buy open for longer, and promote it like crazy. I also don't want to dawdle, because Lastpilot is waiting on us to start his own Alps GB and it's not fair to keep him waiting.

Sounds good to me! I was just comparing to how long most ICs seem to run for hype-building and how long the Infinity DCS modifier set took to come into fruition. I'm all for a speedy IC/GB phase in order to have these in our hands ASAP. Definitely curious as to what colors Lastpilot has in mind for his set. Probably something with purple in it.

I'm also really happy that I could have contributed to the colors of this set. Makes me quite happy since it'll perfectly meet the plans I have for my Infinity build and I've never really had part in a set design before.

[njbair]

Definitely curious as to what colors Lastpilot has in mind for his set. Probably something with purple in it.

See below, from page 1 of this thread:

I am actually planning on doing an IC and GB on a full Alps set reproducing the Graphite colorway. Legends will be replaced with standard cherry. Side-print would be awesome but unlikely unless we get an awesome demand.

Show Image

Photo by Reaper

[E3E]

Definitely curious as to what colors Lastpilot has in mind for his set. Probably something with purple in it.

See below, from page 1 of this thread:

I am actually planning on doing an IC and GB on a full Alps set reproducing the Graphite colorway. Legends will be replaced with standard cherry. Side-print would be awesome but unlikely unless we get an awesome demand.

Show Image

Photo by Reaper

Ahh that's right. I remember that post. Slipped my mind though. Looks like we're in store for tons of blue for Alps key sets. From Tai Hao Olivetti, to Alpine Winter, to Alps Graphite. Not so bad though.

[njbair]

No final word yet from SP, but I have secured permission from hashbaz to use the Cherry-replica legends. I was inspired to create a more accurate mockup, so here it is.



Keep in mind, there are a few unknowns with the mockup at this point. Several legends may not yet exist, namely the Fn keys and the nonstandard Backspaces.

If the Fn keys do not yet exist, I may scrap them from the final set, unless someone is willing to sponsor them. There are two 1U Fn keys, one for each of the bottom two rows. Fortunately DCS uses the same row profile for both bottom rows, so it's a two-for-one deal. I will likely sponsor the 1U Fn key for Infinity compatibility, but the 1.25U legend will be up for grabs if anyone is strongly opposed to using blanks. This person will also get to choose between "Fn," "Func" or "Function" since the 1.25U key is big enough for the whole word.

The backspaces will have to be done either way. I've tossed around a few different options here, and settled on a text-only legend for the 1.5U backspace, and an icon-only legend for the 1U backspace. Feel free to let me know if you strongly disagree with either of these.

There is one more thing that surprised me, and that's the Control keys. Based on the files I received from hashbaz, I don't think there exists a "Ctrl" or even a "CTRL" legend in the SP Cherry-replica set. I'm pretty sure "Control" is there in both sizes. Are we OK with this? I suppose anyone who is married to the abbreviated version is free to sponsor the legends if they want to.

So anyway, this may all be premature as I still haven't heard back from Melissa. I just want to get the ball rolling on some potential tough decisions here.



A word regarding sponsored legends

Signature Plastics charges $45 to cut a new legend, and those legends are row-specific and width-specific (e.g., 1U vs. 1.25U). One of hashbaz's conditions for using these legends is that any Cherry-style legends that need to be added, must be included back into the full Cherry-replica set. So if you sponsor a legend, you will not own the rights to it as is sometimes the case. But hashbaz is super cool and generally will approve any community GB, so you're basically contributing to the GeekHack "public domain" and making sure that future buy organizers won't have to hunt down 27 different users to get permission.

[sean]

Maybe we can get a few of us to do "half sponsorships"? I personally find having Control and Function typed out like that to be a bit wonky for the 1.25u form factor. The 1.5u Control doesn't look too bad but regardless it would be nice if that was also normal.

I'm willing to sponsor half for a 1.25u Fn key if somebody else will sponsor the other half.

[sth]

i'm interested in alps caps but not ABS and not in these colors

pbt dsa granite alps... someday...

[njbair]

Quick update. Badwrench has informed me that SP actually does have a 1.5U backspace with a Cherry legend. I'm not sure what it looks like yet, but that's one fewer key we'll need to worry about having cut.

Maybe we can get a few of us to do "half sponsorships"? I personally find having Control and Function typed out like that to be a bit wonky for the 1.25u form factor. The 1.5u Control doesn't look too bad but regardless it would be nice if that was also normal.

I'm willing to sponsor half for a 1.25u Fn key if somebody else will sponsor the other half.

After looking into this a bit, having the full word "Control" is apparently the normal Cherry way. That's how it is on GMK TA caps, at least for the 1.25U size; the 1.5U have the all-caps "CTRL" for consistency with the original TA set. GMK Hyperfuse also uses "Control" for both sizes. The only GMK Hyperfuse key that actually says "Ctrl" is the stepped caps lock replacement. So again, I'm neither here nor there on "Control" versus "Ctrl," but I'm against "CTRL" for this set. So if someone really wants to pay $90 to have "Ctrl" legends cut in both sizes, assuming they don't already exist, I'll make it part of the order with SP.

[geniekid]

I'm willing to sponsor the Fn legends either partially or fully.  I don't care enough about Control vs Ctrl.

[olijuice]

I'm not sure on the specifics/politics of group buys but is it possible to distribute the cost throughout the whole GB? For example if 30 people joined the cost for $90 would only add up to $3 extra dollars.

[sth]

I'm not sure on the specifics/politics of group buys but is it possible to distribute the cost throughout the whole GB? For example if 30 people joined the cost for $90 would only add up to $3 extra dollars.

that's sort of how things have been done in the past

[njbair]

I'm not sure on the specifics/politics of group buys but is it possible to distribute the cost throughout the whole GB? For example if 30 people joined the cost for $90 would only add up to $3 extra dollars.

Yes, it's possible and happens all the time (e.g., the custom icon legends in Raindrop and Toxic). But you have to be careful. It's only $3, but that key itself also has a cost, let's say $1.50 for a 1U key. So if I want this set for my AEKII layout which doesn't use Fn keys, now I'm paying for a short right shift, two 1U Fn keys, a 1.25U Fn key, and several other caps that I'm never going to use, and you want to tack on an extra $3 for that privilege?

So the best compromise I've seen is that if somebody has a really strong preference about a custom cap, and everyone else is fine with it as long as it doesn't waste their money, that person with the strong preference should sponsor it.

Make sense?

[olijuice]

Yes that makes sense, thanks.

[sean]

I'm willing to sponsor the Fn legends either partially or fully.  I don't care enough about Control vs Ctrl.

So do you want to do $22.50 and I'll do the other $22.50?

[geniekid]

I'm willing to sponsor the Fn legends either partially or fully.  I don't care enough about Control vs Ctrl.

So do you want to do $22.50 and I'll do the other $22.50?

Sure.  Incoming PM to njbair and sean.

[njbair]

Hey, all.

I just heard back from SP with some preliminary pricing info. There are still a few details to be worked out (including the potential availability of an AEKII spacebar, keep your fingers crossed but don't get your hopes up).

I can't share any final prices just yet because I still have to figure out shipping estimates and other ancillary costs, but just know that this project is still very much alive and I'm still planning on moving it into the GB phase as soon as possible.

[t8c]

(including the potential availability of an AEKII spacebar, keep your fingers crossed but don't get your hopes up).

Keeping my fingers crossed.

[njbair]

Okay, Alps fans. I hope you're sitting down.

Signature Plastics has AEKII spacebars!

That's right, SP can do 6.5U spacebars, and they can do them with Alps mounts. So Alpine Winter will now support full AEKII layout compatibility!



Like all Alps-mount SP caps, these spacebars will have the Alps stem in the middle, and cherry stems for the stabilizer inserts.



In addition to this wonderful news, I have received confirmation that almost all of the legends in the mockup are already available, with the exception of the 1.25U function key (we are still waiting on an answer for this one). Either way it will be covered, since sean and geniekid have already graciously offered to co-sponsor that legend if necessary.

So at this point, the only thing I'm still not 100% sure about, is the appearance of the 1.5U backspace legend--specifically, whether it's text-only, symbol-only, or both. Melissa replied to me from home and didn't have access to the book listing what's available. But we'll see what it looks like soon enough when Badwrench's corrected mods arrive on his doorstep.



So hang in there! We're almost ready to launch this GB. I will, of course, keep you all posted as soon as I hear anything new.

[geniekid]

Good to hear

[t8c]

Okay, Alps fans. I hope you're sitting down.

Signature Plastics has AEKII spacebars!

That's right, SP can do 6.5U spacebars, and they can do them with Alps mounts. So Alpine Winter will now support full AEKII layout compatibility!

Jesus christ. This is unbelievable. Excellent work!

[vivalarevolución]

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy.

[Muffinbottoms]

Heya Njbair!

I'm just postin to show I'm ready and waiting !

[njbair]

Just received confirmation that the 1.25U Fn key is already cut, which means this set won't require any extra cost for new legends to be cut. Also, as a point of interest, I learned that legends are key width-specific, but not row specific. So if SP already has a 1U Fn key, for example, they can make that legend on any of the five DCS rows. I had always assumed that legends were both row- and width-specific.

Anyway, I'm expecting updated pricing from SP either tonight or tomorrow (including the AEKII spacebar). I'll do my best to turn that around into final GB prices this weekend, and we'll shoot for a Monday launch. Get hyped!!!

[jbondeson]

Excellent news njbair!

This could end up being a lot less expensive than we were all anticipating at the beginning.

Of course, we still have the absurd SP backlog to contend with. I think they're saying late-Feb for new buys like Danger Zone.

[njbair]

Excellent news njbair!

This could end up being a lot less expensive than we were all anticipating at the beginning.

Of course, we still have the absurd SP backlog to contend with. I think they're saying late-Feb for new buys like Danger Zone.

I believe DCS runs on a different production line than SA, so we may not have to wait that long.

[jbondeson]

I believe DCS runs on a different production line than SA, so we may not have to wait that long.

Here's hoping! Everything else seems to be breaking our way in the buy, what's one more?

[nickheller]

This looks sweet, I will buy a set for my new matias v60.

[LeandreN]

Following on the heels of Badwrench's Alps GB success (man does it feel good to say that), I wonder if we've got enough momentum now for a successful Alps 60% full set buy. The aim of this set is full 60% compatibility in a single kit. This includes Dell AT101(W), AEKII, and Infinity Hacker layouts. I also really want these to work with Badwrench's modifiers for mixing and matching, so the keys will be DCS profile with Cherry font legends in a colorway that compliments BX teal blue. The set includes modifiers with the same Alps icon as the Badwrench mods (special thanks to nubbinator for permission to use the 1.25x Alps key).

Show Image

Colors are BGA and GTL.


Would you want to add an ISO kit?

Show Image

Remember, this is an interest check. Nothing is set in stone at this point, except for the non-negotiable stated goals of maximum layout compatibility, and colors that work with Badwrench's modifiers.

Let me know if I missed any important keys for compatibility's sake. And of course, let me know if you're interested!




Some previous colorway ideas, for posterity

More

The first iteration of BGA/GTL, with BX teal modifier legends.

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Badwrench's suggestion (similar to Hyperfuse):

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Show Image

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My [misguided] original colorway idea, for discussion context:

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The colors pictured are SP ABS colors YL yellow with black legends for the alphas, and RDA purple with--you guessed it--BX teal blue legends for the modifiers. These colors were chosen because yellow and purple complete a color wheel triad with cyan/teal.